Leaving Home
by Nanyoky
Summary: Junai Crow's life changes dramatically when her parents send her to learn to control her magic with the wildmage herself. Jun must leave the land and people she loves to better understand who she is and what she is meant to do. Sorry, bad summary, im new.
1. Junai

chapter #1

**Alright yalls! This is my very first fanfic so be kind! I would love constructive criticism, even if you want to tell me I suck, just give me reasons why I suck so hard and I'll be happy! If enough people give me good advise, I **_**will**_** try to edit, but I can't make any promises about how often I will post and edit. If at any time, you feel I am misrepresenting old characters, please tell me what it is I'm doing wrong and I'll try to fix it (dude, Nawat is wwwaaaayyyy harder to write for than i thought! It's hard seeing him as a daddy...). Well, I see it like this: Nawat and Aly are married (der) and they have a daughter. They name her Junai after a fallen friend. But what oh what would a girl with this kind of ancestry be like? What powers does she posses? What physical and mental characteristics has she inherited? That's what I'd like to know! So here it is, the tale of Junai Alanna Crow, a quiet but strong girl with crazy powers and skillz yo. **

**Disclaimer: if i was tamora pierce i would not be the nerdy fourteen year old girl, typing on a crappy old compy now would I? **

**btw, "talking" _thoughts_ and _"animal talking"_**

**Rated for more violence, thematic events and language up the butt later on.**

Junai Alanna Crow lay on her stomach near the stream, a flower twisting between her fingers. She was singing softly, content to listen to the sounds, smell the scents and feel the nature all around her. Her soft voice drifted across the grass and water.

_Lady with her eyes so bright, _

_watching over the endless fight, _

_Seeing the battle, to be free, _

_hoping this soon may be..._

She loved taking inventory of her surroundings. She smelled damp earth, spice trees, the sweet clean water next to her and the camomile flower she still held. Junai felt the grass through her tight leggings and loose cotton tunic that reached her knees and the soft breeze on her face. She heard the stream, the chatter of small animals and the calls of crows. She frowned, listening hard.

_"Cousin? Cou-sin?!"_

Junai sighed, and let out a harsh caw in return, strongly contrasting her sweet singing voice.

_"What do you want Rustaff? I was relaxing."_

Rustaff lighted on her shoulder. _"Your father wishes to see you," _he preened her hair rigidly. _"He says it is important. But I do not see the importance in the things he does, so I see no need to rush off dutifully to his side."_

Junai sighed. _"Does he put you up to disturbing my thoughts, or do you do that on your own?" _

_"A bit of both, you ungrateful child," _he 'accidentally' cuffed her in the head with his wing as he took off. Junai rolled onto her back, staring up at the clouds. She smiled as a few eager fledglings careened toward her.

_"Will you be flying with us today, wing sister?"_ One asked excitedly, trying hard to hover above her like a humming bird and failing miserably. She smiled and shook her head.

_"I have to go now," _she admitted._ "And I make the regular folk nervous when I change near them. Thank you for the offer though, but I think I'll run home." _

_"Oh well, until next time, wing sister!" _They left with difficulty, joining their flock. She sighed, getting to her feet and adjusting her quiver and bow on her back, care full not to let her storm wing fletched arrows get too near her neck. The set of arrows had been given to her by her father, who was as skilled a fletcher as a fighter. She had only brought along two mage killers, however. The rest were crow fletched. She noticed with a pang that the leather grip of her bow was unraveling. She would need to repair it that afternoon.

Junai climbed the nearest tree, using it as a starting point as she made her way home, hidden and almost completely silent as she lept nimbly through the leafy canopy. When she finally reached the town surrounding the castle, she jumped down, a puff of dirt blossoming around where her bare feet smacked the ground.

"Jun! Jun!"

Junai looked up, smiling at her friend Hazura as she ran toward her. Hazura had moved to the Copper Isles only months before, after living in the Tortallan desert. She had had no friends and was painfully shy, so Junai had tried to make her feel welcome. She liked Hazura, it was not simply pity that kept Jun talking with her and spending lazy days together. They were the same age and there were few commoners who accepted Junai as she was. Most found her intimidating even when she made an effort to be friendly.

"Hey Zura!" she threw her arm around the girl's shoulders. "What's new?"  
"Your da's loo-"

"I know," she interrupted, rolling her eyes.

"But how?"Hazura frowned. "You've been out all morning."

"A little birdy told me."

"Oh," the little Bazier wrinkled her nose. "Would that be your literal birdies or the figure of speech birdies?" Though she had only just learned the language, Hazura had picked up quite a vocabulary.

"Literal," Junai grinned. "That's why I came back. Do you have any idea what he wants?"

"No," the shorter girl shook her head. "I've been at the seamstress' all morning. I only just escaped!"

"Oh you poor baby," Jun rolled her eyes. "Sorry I can't comfort you in this most dire time of need, but I've got to find Da." She took off running in the direction of the fletcher's shop. Hazura shook her head. She couldn't keep up if she tried.

"Da?" Jun called as she rounded a corner. "Oh there you are!" She sat across from her father on the bench outside the cramped fletcher's shop.

"I've been looking for you all morning," he smiled warmly at his only child. "Where have you been off to?"

She gave what her mother called a 'crow shrug.' "Just off thinking. Rustaff said you were looking for me, so I headed back. What's up?"

"Well," Nawat Crow placed an arrow carefully in it's shaft, choosing his words carefully. "I was going to wait until your mother came out of her meeting...but she's been so busy lately..."

Junai frowned. It was not like her father to be at a loss for words. "What's wrong Da? Is something the matter?"

"No," he continued slowly. "Jun, you know how Ysul says he doesn't understand your sparkle power- I mean- your magic?"

"Yes," she frowned deeper. "But what does it matter if he doesn't? It's _my_ magic and I think it's just fine."

"That's true," Nawat began picking excess glue from his most recently dried arrow. "But your mother insists that you learn control. I don't understand it myself. _Crows_ never needed control." He looked at her proudly. "And half of your sparkl- magic is from them."

"But ma says the other half is from a different kind of sorcery that is wild and difficult to tame," Jun rolled her eyes. "How many times have I heard _that _one."

"And she's right," he pointed out, carefully choosing his next words. Jun was like a small animal, prone to run off if he frightened her. "That's why I think it would be a very good idea for you to learn from someone who is accustom to... a different kind of magic."

Jun put her hands on her hips. "Spit it out Da, this is obviously important."

He ignored the suggestion, sanding down a fresh shaft. "I sent a letter to your grand parents." He bit his lip, praying she would not jump to the point to soon. He needn't have worried, Jun snorted.

"Da, you're terrified of Grandma."

"True," he smiled sheepishly. "But I needed to ask them about...something."

"Your scaring me," her frown deepened. "What about my magic did you need to talk to Grandma and Grandpa about?"

"Your Mother thinks that some of your magic may be what is called Wild magic," he said slowly, knowing that at any moment, Junai would put two and two together. He didn't have long to wait.

"You-you want me to-to," Jun stammered, staring at him with wide eyes. "Go and learn from- from Daine!" she gasped when he nodded.

"Daine understands shape shifting and speaking with animals," he explained. "She is the only one we know of who can do this. She is the only one who can train you."

"I don't need to be trained!" Jun protested, panicking. "I like it fine the way I am! Da, I can't leave you and Ma and Zura and all my friends!"

"You will come home," he pointed out reasonably. "I think you will be away for three years at the most."

"Three years!" Junai paled. "Three years with out seeing all of you?! Are you insane!?"

"Maybe your mother is wearing off on me," he crow shrugged. "But you need training, and Daine is the one to do it."

"Have you told mother this plan yet?" she demanded. Nawat looked guilty.

"Well..."

Jun grinned evilly. This she could work with. If she got to her mother first, she could give her Jun's own version of her father's proposal and Aly would be opposed to it before her father had the chance to put the idea in her head. "That's good, I think I'll go visit her in her office now."

"No," Nawat knew his daughter too well to mistake that scheming look in her oddly colored eyes. He shook his head. "I have already promised her Majesty that you will go riding with her this afternoon." Jun groaned. She couldn't ignore a promise made to royalty.

"Your getting better at this," she sighed dramatically. "Time was you were easier to get around Da." Even if his idea had made her nervous, she couldn't resist poking fun. "Now your almost as good as Ma, what's a poor girl to do?"

He smiled, at least she wasn't furious. "I don't know," he answered gravely. "You may just be trapped this time."

She gave him a swift hug before running off to the stables to saddle her stallion, Dark Wing. The horse was considered vicious and dangerous by almost everyone but Jun. He snorted when he saw his tack being lifted from the wall by his mistress.

_"Why do I put up with this?" _

_"Because you're dog meat if you don't," _she informed him._ "Hold still and be a good boy today. We're riding with Dove so don't get any funny ideas about racing." _With a pang she realized that if she left, she would be leaving him behind. He could never get the attention he needed if she wasn't around. She bit her lip, thinking hard. She _was_ scared to go, and would fight tooth and nail if she was forced. But the truth was, a little part of her heart had soared when her father suggested it. She would love to meet the people her mother had told her stories about. Alanna the Lioness, her grandmother, George Cooper, her grandfather, Daine the Wildmage, her husband, Numaire and all the others. They sounded so exciting and interesting. _To fly with a flock from legends..._ she thought bemused. But she couldn't leave Darkwing and the others. They needed her. When Darkwing was ready she led him out to where Queen Dovasary was already waiting astride her palomino, Sugarcane.

"Hello, Junai!" she smiled. "I was wondering where you've been!"

Jun managed a sort of half bow while simultaneously pulling Darkwing's teeth away from a foot man.

"Oh none of that," Dovasary flapped her hand impatiently. "Your as good as family! How many times must I tell you, only at court!"

"Just a few more times, for the message to stick," Jun grinned, swinging easily into the saddle. She winced, realizing she should have stopped in her rooms for shoes. She hoped the queen wouldn't notice her bare feet. "Where should we go?"

**Oh, ty to Daughter of nature for pointing out that she probably wouldn't call her parents mom and dad (blush) i didn't think of that when I was writing!**


	2. Parents, queens, gods and Shrubberys

**Hey! Sorry, on the off chance that any one was waiting for an update. Thanks again to Daughter of Nature for her review. The rest of you, I know you read it! So take thirty seconds to either write 'cool' or 'this sucks!' I honestly don't care! Again, sorry if I'm totally ruining old characters.**

**Okay, you all know I'm not Tamora Pierce, however much of a wanna be I am.**

* * *

"You WHAT?!?!" 

Lady Alianne Crow's voice boomed through out the palace. Normally, she was a very collected and good tempered woman. But in some cases, she could be as ferocious as her famous mother. Nawat cowered at his wife's rage, though he was at least twice her weight in muscle.

"I sent a letter to your parents, asking if it would be alright if Jun stayed with them," he repeated, as though this would help.

Aly breathed slowly, counting to ten. "But your afraid of my mother." she pointed out when she felt she could speak without screaming.

"So?" Nataw winced, sometimes it was uncanny how alike his wife and daughter were. "If we need help, what does it matter?"

"But don't you see?" Aly burst out. "She won't see this for what it is! She'll see it as another opportunity to pick away at everything I do! She's done it with every other aspect of my life, she'll jump at the opportunity to do it for how I raise my child!"

"Jun needs training," he argued calmly, glad she had stopped shouting at him. "And your friend Daine is the only one who can give it to her."

"Yes, but why does my mother need to be involved?" Aly beat her head repeatedly on her desk. Nawat moved behind her to rub her shoulders.

"We can't just send her to the same country as them and not tell them."

"We can't?"

"No Aly," he smiled. "I don't think that would make your parents very happy."

"I suppose not," she sighed, smiling ruefully. "I just hope beyond hope that she will refuse."

* * *

Sir Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau smiled as she finished reading the letter from her son in law. 

"What do you think George?" she asked her husband. "Should I tell them we would be delighted?"

"Of coarse," George grinned. "I would love to see our granddaughter. Now Alanna," his face turned serious. "You have to promise you will allow me to send her back in one piece when her training is through."

"Of coarse, Laddie my love," she smiled innocently at him. "What ever would give you any idea other wise?"

"And you'll promise that if she wishes to remain out of the practice courts, you will respect that choice?" He added shrewdly.

"Oh come on, now your being unfair," she rolled her violet eyes. "I doubt that Aly would leave her daughter defenseless." _If she has, so help me Goddess..._ she added in her head. Though they had last parted on good terms, the King's Champion and her daughter were known to butt heads.

"Even so, they do live in an entirely different country, so we must respect whatever customs she has picked up there," George eyed his wife, knowing she was already making plans to test her grandchild's skills. "Try not to act disappointed if she's a proper young lady." a smile twitched at the edge of his lips. He doubted any grandchild of _his_ would grow up proper, but he needed to be sure his wife was prepared for anything. Alanna was kind and good hearted, but she tended to say the first thing that came to mind, which was, usually, rather tactless.

"I won't," she scowled, stretching her back. "But she better not be some timid little mouse. I won't be able to stand it if she screams when she sees a spider or something."

"With _her_ mother?" George laughed.

"Your right, she'll more likely talk back than scream," Alanna grumbled. "I don't know which is worse."

* * *

"So what is in the daily schedule of Junai Crow," Dove asked teasingly. "Are you keeping up with your studies?" 

"Of coarse," Jun rolled her eyes. "Da's easy to get around, but Ma can just _feel_ it if I do something wrong. I spend the rest of the day out with the horses or in the forest, you know that."

"The horses _do_ seem better behaved when you work with them," Dove patted Sugarcane's mane. She paused, "What's on your mind, Jun? You're even quieter than usual."

Jun frowned. She was comfortable with Dove, who was more like a young aunt than her queen. Before she knew it, she was unloading the entire conversation with her father.

"And now he's going to tell Ma this crazy plan so they'll both be pushing for me to go!" she finished. "I can't leave here! This is where I _belong!_ This is where I was _born_ for Trickster's sake!"

"Present and accounted for."

Jun groaned as a bright white light appeared and everything around her froze. "Look here" she said firmly. She was not generally very forward, or even talkative, but she wanted to make a few things clear to the god of thieves. "I don't have any qualms or wagers to sort out and I don't need any! So if you would see your way to moving on, I would greatly appreciate it."

"What makes such a young lass so distrusting?" Kyprioth smiled innocently, floating before Dark wing so he was at eye level with her.

"Well my ma told me a thing or two about Tricksters," She replied coolly.

"Ah!" he wagged a finger at her. "But what they don't tell you is how much _better_ life gets after a little tweaking."

"Tweaking?" Jun's eyebrow twitched up ever so slightly. "I wouldn't call kidnapping someone and selling them into slavery 'tweaking'."

"Is that what she calls it?" The god let out a bark of laughter. "_I _call it delicate rearranging. Transplanting if you will. I'm but a simple gardener, moving my shrubberies to where they will better flourish."

"That was sheer poetry," Jun drawled. "But despite your beautiful metaphors, I have no wish to be a god's 'shrubbery'."

"You may feel different," he shrugged nonchalantly. "When you've learned that the safety of your friends and family is involved."

Jun was silent for a moment, trying to keep her rage under control. "Don't threaten me," she growled finally, her voice deadly quiet. "Don't you threaten me Kyprioth!"

"Tut tut," he shook his head sadly. "Is that any way to talk to the god of your home? The patron god of both your parents?"

"You don't say you're _my_ patron," she commented, intrigued in spite of herself. "Why come to me if I'm no Trickster?"

"Well it isn't my fault if someone else gets first pick," he pouted. Then his face brightened and he positively beamed at her. "And even if you don't follow your mother's line, you're still half a crow. Such delightful creatures, I haven't a notion why your father decided to leave the flock. Even if it was for your mother."

"So what do you want," she snapped.

"I want you to help me," he ignored her noise of disgust. "I need someone who can get a good job done without making a fuss."

"What's the job?" She asked scathingly. "Am I to steal something? Kill someone? Start a rebellion perhaps?"  
"Nothing so illegal," he looked shocked, the picture of innocence. "I've had a busy century. Your time of mortals is very active to say the least. But more on that later, I must go."

"What did you come for if you're just going to leave?" but he was already gone.

"Well do you want to go?" Dove's voice startled Jun.

"What? Sorry."

"Do you want to learn wild magic from Daine Salmalin?"

"Well..." Jun pushed her meeting with Kyprioth to the back of her mind. "I don't know. If it means being able to help people and animals more, then yes. But it also means that I'm leaving my family, my friends and my home for several years! I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that..."

"Well give it time," Dove said reassuringly. "Who knows, another factor may come up to help you decide."

* * *

**Guess what jerks? You made the little green button cry! That's right, it's sobbing it's eyes out from neglect! You sick people!**


End file.
